RR
Bear Gulch - Mount Rose trail.
I was looking at Metskers at Mason Historical. Penciled on the volume was 1941.
It showed Bear Gulch to Mt Rose trail.
I do agree with others that two major fires combined with 75 years are likely to have removed even the "sawn log" old trail sign.

RR
Bear Gulch - Mount Rose trail.
I was looking at Metskers at Mason Historical. Penciled on the volume was 1941.
It showed Bear Gulch to Mt Rose trail.
I do agree with others that two major fires combined with 75 years are likely to have removed even the "sawn log" old trail sign.

Upon reviewing the comments here (over the years, it now seems) it seems clear that human beings trekked well into the park thousands of years ago. There have been sites found on Hurricane Ridge, out by Grand Valley, Royal Basin, Seven Lakes Basin, and elsewhere. Heck a spear point was found in a 13,800 year old mastadon bone in Sequim not long ago. We have heard that the first trails established followed native paths, like Wood reports in his guide into the Queets, and that when the first whites entered the wilderness they ran into native parties well in.

My guess is that the interior of this park was traveled by natives since the time humans first arrived here,which may have been well over 15,000 years ago. I'd guess, further, that some of the routes were high, not low. Someone could run the high country from the north to the south via the Bailey and then Skyine traverses; or for that matter from Hurricane Hill east and then south via Lake Lillian then Cameron and Lost Pass then padt the Sisters to Iceburg Lakes down into Godkin then up to Skyline or Muncaster to the south....In the late summer the weather is good, game is plentiful, and traveling this way would be easier than working through the forest along the rivers.

There is a cave up by Hart Lake near ONeil Pass, a big one, sheltered, and there are other places as well protected from weather. My point here is only that just as some of us love to wander around up there and explore and see what is on the other side, so perhaps would ancient people here long long ago, not to mention spiritual and religious motives. And this leads me then to ask, are some the the trails way up there perhaps older than anyone thinks? Up high a boot path lasts a long time, built from a game trail, but perhaps some of those paths up there were first trod and made by men and women in leather foot gear when the great ice filled uget Sound to the east and north (the ice was not covering the Olympics, though, and even then perhaps the ridges were pen and clear.)

Ruby Hult's "Untamed Olympics" describes Indian legends of tribes meeting peacefully in the interior of the peninsula. The meetings stopped however, and the area was shunned, after some unnamed catastrophe. The Press expedition found numerous blazed trees and concluded they were “threading passes and gorges long accustomed to the presence of man.”

There is early and then there is EARLY. I went to the little museum in Sequim and saw the mastadon exhibit there, which dated the find to 13,800 years ago. If people were hunting that long ago in Sequim you can be darn sure they were chasing critters into the mountains too.

Blast from the past - if anyone chances upon this post, are they any sources available about Tshletshy Creek wanderings (side from the 2 kayak reports - which are amazing)? It seems everyone going from Skyline dropping from Paradise Valley tries to follow the creek, of course, and in that curving canyon is a nightmare of blowdowns. I am wondering, it looks like you could head from Paradise valley northwest along the crest past a couple valleys to a visible lake, Round Lake, and then follow the ridge from there right down to Tshletshy Creek missing the upper canyon entirely, maybe cross the creek there and climb the other side to the old trail aong the upper benches?

Blast from the past - if anyone chances upon this post, are they any sources available about Tshletshy Creek wanderings (side from the 2 kayak reports - which are amazing)? It seems everyone going from Skyline dropping from Paradise Valley tries to follow the creek, of course, and in that curving canyon is a nightmare of blowdowns. I am wondering, it looks like you could head from Paradise valley northwest along the crest past a couple valleys to a visible lake, Round Lake, and then follow the ridge from there right down to Tshletshy Creek missing the upper canyon entirely, maybe cross the creek there and climb the other side to the old trail aong the upper benches?

How ridiculous is this idea?

I don’t know. But it is so far removed from the once-existed Tshletshy trail as to not be the same trip. And that canyon is to be stayed away from. And Ski’s comments about the canyon might accidentally mislead. When he talks about a mile up it’s a not bad description of walking distance. By straight line the mouth is quite close to the flats on the Queets. There’s really no reason to hit the creek. Restated, once you hit the mouth of the canyon it’s only a few minutes walk to the river.

Wouldn’t it be better just to go all the way down to the Queets?

And those kayak guys? Yes, they survived. But as someone who’s trout fished into the canyon from the top, about as far as you can go and come back out, the idea of anyone, no matter skill level, going down that thing unscouted is terrifying.

The problem with the trail is steep side hill, combined with monstrous trees, meaning monstrous blow down, combined with apparent low use when it was open.

Bushwhack down the hill from Big Creek divide. Camp. Spend a day over towards Paradise. Another day towards the old shelter site. That’ll get you to some seldom seen big trees. That’s a sane Tshleshy trip for off trail person’s.

Rreststep, thanks for the link, it is very helpful. Pyrites thanks also for the comments - if you see this note how was the troutfishing in the creek, anyway? How many days were you in there? Yes, I see the canyon at the end of the creek ooks gnarley, and the kayak guys indicate there are three other canyons at the head of the creek where it makes that long turn to Paradise Valley. And you are right, as someone who years ago did a lot of whitewater river running on the east coast the idea of running down a blind river with those huge strainers is chilling.....

And those kayak guys? Yes, they survived. But as someone who’s trout fished into the canyon from the top, about as far as you can go and come back out, the idea of anyone, no matter skill level, going down that thing unscouted is terrifying.

I wouldn’t say “unscouted”. Nor “terrifying”. You scout as you go, paddling what you deem reasonable and portaging what you don’t want to paddle. Just like with hiking (and the many inspiring trip reports on this site), there’s a fantastic sense of adventure while paddling a remote, seldom paddled stretch of wilderness river / creek. The adventure is similar, just with a different mode of locomotion. Exciting, yes. But hopefully not terrifying.

There is no question that the original inhabitants of the Olympic Peninsula ventured into the interior core of what we now know as Olympic National Park.
I have a copy of an old map here somewhere that shows a route which begins down near Lake Quinault and then seems to follow the spines of Sams Ridge and then Tshletshy Ridge to a berry field in the vicinity of what Robert L. Wood refers to as "Paradise Valley" in his guide books.

In and of itself, the old Klickitat Trail #7 just south of Randle should be ample evidence that early tribesmen were more than capable of travelling long distances over high-elevation trails. There is no reason to think it would be any different on the Olympic Peninsula than it was in the South Cascades.

As to your inquiry about the Tshletshy drainage and any existing or possible "route":
follow the links in this post and you might find something of use.

Be sure to note the last line in that post. Allow yourself plenty of time.

as an addendum:
I recall Gay telling me that when she and Mike were way up the canyon there were places where they were 20 or 25 feet above ground level walking on the tops of the blowdowns.

--------------"I shall wear white flannel trousers, and walk upon the beach.
I have heard the mermaids singing, each to each."

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